Tag Archives: Jamal Franklin

THE BIG LIFE

★★★★★

Theatre Royal Stratford East

THE BIG LIFE at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

★★★★★

“The whole show is a wondrous vision”

When front of house inform you that the show is approximately three hours long, the reaction is to smile politely while inwardly groaning and hoping there’s an espresso machine behind the bar at the interval. In the case of “The Big Life” however, after what is, in all actuality, a little over three hours we are still wanting more. It has been twenty years since this absolute gem of a musical premiered at Theatre Royal Stratford East (before transferring to the West End), and its revival has come none too soon.

Set in the mid-fifties, the show opens on board the Windrush; sailing from the Caribbean carrying its voyagers heading for a new life. The characters are full of hope, with great expectations and personal aspirations. We all know the reality. But although this show touches on it, it is no ‘blaxploitation’ polemic. It is instead a true celebration of a culture to which we owe a huge debt.

Subtitled ‘the Ska Musical’, Paul Joseph’s music keeps the blood pumping and the feet tapping throughout. And during the more tender, balladic moments, our heartstrings almost snap. It is Bob Marley meets Louis Jordan. A crossbreed of ‘One Love’ and ‘Five Guys Named Moe’, with more than a splash of Leiber and Stoller thrown in. So where can you go wrong? Adding Shakespeare to the mix sounds like a risk too far, but the ingenious take on the bard’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” is a masterstroke of theatrical reimagining. Paul Sirett and Tameka Empson’s book (Sirett is also the lyricist) even manages to improve on it while staying remarkably faithful.

 

 

On board the ship are four young men who make a pact to abstain from women and drink for three years in order to work hard and make something of their lives. The women in their lives have other ideas. The admiral of the ship follows them all onto dry land, igniting fire into the cold, grey, unwelcoming landscape, and moreover igniting mischief into the lives of the star-crossed individuals.

You don’t need to be familiar with Shakespeare’s storyline to follow the action. The biggest threat of losing the plot is through the sheer multitude of laugh-out-loud moments. The cast collectively throw the term ‘triple threat’ to the wind, multiplying their talents left, right and centre. Co-writer Empson presides over the evening as Mrs Aphrodite, commenting on the piece and filling in details from her majestic place in a box in the royal circle. In the guise of a forthright, Jamaican, first-generation immigrant, she flamboyantly and hilariously dispenses gossip and shameless commentary through the scene changes. Her perfectly timed interjections gently morph into more serious subject matter, poignantly and subtlety drawing attention to the darker side – particularly the recent Windrush scandals. The disturbing irony, and the fate of these migrants is not ignored and is treated by the writers with a respect and an authority that lends untold depth to the tremendous applause that greets the curtain call.

Onstage, meanwhile, the party continues. The seven-piece band continue to belt out the numbers with high energy while the ensemble cast is spreading joy like there’s no tomorrow. So much zest is bouncing off the stage that we forget that these actors are probably among the hardest working performers in London currently. I’d love to namecheck everyone, but each one is a star. I’d love to give a step-by-step account of the story and index the song list for you, but each number is a showstopper. The whole show is a wondrous vision. The score is a dream. Twenty years ago, it transferred to the West End. The standing ovation it received this time around will surely guide it there again. In double-time, of course – it is a ‘Ska musical’ after all.


THE BIG LIFE at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

Reviewed on 22nd February 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Mark Senior

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

BEAUTIFUL THING | ★★★★★ | September 2023

THE BIG LIFE

THE BIG LIFE

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On Railton Road

On Railton Road

★★★

Museum of Home

ON RAILTON ROAD at the Museum of the Home

★★★

On Railton Road

“there is simply too much and no theme receives a thorough or satisfying explanation”

In the 1970s, the area around Railton Road in Brixton was a hotbed of radicalism, with activist groups setting up centres in the many dilapidated buildings lining the street. In a bid to highlight queer domestic spaces, the Museum of the Home’s first theatrical production On Railton Road makes use of rare archival interviews with squatters and revolutionaries of the era to bring this seditious period to life on stage.

We are introduced to the nonconformist lives of the residents of one squat on Railton Road through the eyes of the naïve Ned (Manish Gandhi) who pines after the polyamorous Phillip (Thomas Royal). The whimsical Atom (Jaye Hudson) spins around in the garden on an acid trip whilst Daire (Jamal Franklin) seeks to create art. The radical Casper (Hannah van der Westhuysen) desires to do something more sinister – to firebomb a WHSmith during the annual pride march. Clifford (Dan de la Motte) and Jack (Nicholas Marrast Lewis) oversee the household – conducting votes on whether to take direct action and keeping clashing personalities and opinions in check.

The play is divided into two parts that intermingle with one another. One, the fabricated but informed story of some of those who lived on Railton Road. The other, a thoroughly camp production of ‘Mr Punch’s Nuclear Family’, an original play by the 1974-established Brixton Faeries who sort to use theatre to share their experiences and grievances with a wider public.

The latter is by far the highlight of the overall production. ‘Mr Punch’s Nuclear Family’ is absurdist in style and comedy and the cast do an excellent job of presenting the play in ad hoc street theatre style. The props and costumes here are excellent also – mop wigs for judges, massive hands attached to extendable corrugated conduits for the police officer, and, the pièce de resistance, a giant papier mâché judge head designed by Oliver James-Hymans and puppeteered by Lewis. These scenes are pure joy and the conclusion of the Faeries’ work was met with rapturous applause.

The scenes of life on Railton Road are not bad by any means. There are lots of interesting topics raised including violence vs passivity, racial relations, class division, open relationships, and the future of gay liberation. However, there is simply too much and no theme receives a thorough or satisfying explanation. The tonal shifts can be very dramatic and confusing, further exacerbated by two scenes often happening on stage at one time to further multiple plotlines concurrently.

“With some significant pruning of the play’s length and a clearer focus, this will be a very valuable piece of theatre indeed”

Some characters are also stronger than others. Ned – though very sweet and performed magnificently by Gandhi upon the sudden death of one of his housemates – does not seem like a wholly necessary character. He is the eyes through which the audience is introduced to the household’s bohemian way of life, but his presence doesn’t garner any further explanation from the other characters, they offer this up readily already amongst themselves. Franklin is the standout in his role as Daire. He is fun, loud, and energetic. He brings great life to the stage whilst also leaning into more poignant moments with great ease. His speech on why he is opposed to violent action is particularly strong.

The set (Ian Giles) is good. We see a kitchen, dining table and empty space that alternates between garden, bedroom and living space. Actors enter and exit from pretty much any direction and often trapse around the audience whilst delivering their lines. This envelops the audience in the activity of the squat – we have joined the Railton Road clan, and we are proud of it. The musical arrangements also deserve a mention. Sophie Crawford plays sweet tunes on her accordion and A Gay Song (1972), the earliest known example of a defiant chant from the early 70s pride marches to be recorded, is performed with gusto.

The play concludes with a welcome history lesson to wrap-up. We see the squatters form the Brixton Co-operative Housing in the early 1980s and returning to their old home in the 2000s to reminisce about their once radical endeavours. We hear about their struggles to establish themselves under a Thatcherite government and the painful loss of the AIDS epidemic. We are reminded in these final moments that these characters are based on real people and experiences and that they must not be forgotten.

On Railton Road does a great job at raising awareness of the revolutionary activity of the 1970s. With some significant pruning of the play’s length and a clearer focus, this will be a very valuable piece of theatre indeed.


ON RAILTON ROAD at the Museum of the Home

Reviewed on 2nd November 2023

by Flora Doble

Photography by Lara Dunn

 


 

 

 

Top shows we reviewed in October:

Dear England | ★★★★★ | Prince Edward Theatre | October 2023
Elephant | ★★★★★ | Bush Theatre | October 2023
The Least We Could Do | ★★★★★ | Hope Theatre | October 2023
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane | ★★★★★ | Noël Coward Theatre | October 2023
This Is Not A Circus: 360 | ★★★★★ | Jacksons Lane | October 2023

On Railton Road

On Railton Road

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